Northern Exposure

Heritage Day Festival

2012-09-05T16:11:00.003-07:00

I'm attempting to play catch-up...I am way behind on posting! I have been filling bow orders like crazy and I'm afraid my blog has taken a back seat! So, let's go back in time...
August 4, 2010
We were super excited for the Heritage Festival. It is Charlie's absolute favorite festival we have here. This year we were brave and found our way there on the bus. There are so many people that attend that it is highly encouraged to take the bus to the festival. So, we left the car at home and walked a few feet to the bus stop right by our house...and it wasn't too bad!

The festival has 62 tents set up that represent over 80 cultures. You purchase tickets and each "country" has various food items that you can eat. There are also lots of crafts, music, and performers around.
When we arrived it was time for lunch so we wandered around a bit before settling in England. I ate at the England tent last year too. I'm not the most adventurous eater in the world!

We shared a Cornish Pastie and it was really good! I found a picnic table and while Grayson got fed I enjoyed a Beatles cover band.

When we were done I made Claire pose with me in the yellow submarine! She was still working on the Pastie!

Then, we walked around some more...

Claire won some sunglasses!

We saw some performers...

And posed with a Panda in China.

And then we saw it...the dessert Claire had been waiting for...a chocolate banana!

It was love at first bite!

The sad thing was right after I took this picture, we started walking toward the bus and Claire dropped her banana in the grass and right when it hit the ground, someone stepped on it. And that is how we ended up spending our last couple of tickets on a coke in Zimbabwe and sharing it with Claire! Haha!
It really was a fun day!

Pinterest Recipe Favorites

2012-08-07T16:00:00.002-07:00

I love new recipes and I love Pinterest. Before Pinterest I was stuck in a boring dinner cycle, but lately I have added a ton of new recipes to the rotation and it is all because of recipes I have pinned. I thought maybe I would share some of our new favorites. Who doesn't love a new recipe?

Alice Springs Chicken (from Outback)
http://amysfinerthings.com/sherrys-aussie-chicken
We have made this one three times and it is good! This is my favorite dish at Outback and tastes just like it!

Pasta with Cream Pesto Sauce
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/pasta-with-pesto-cream-sauce/
Who doesn't love the Pioneer Woman? This dish is good and even worth the 8 dollars pine nuts cost here!

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole
http://pinterest.com/pin/214272894740877746/
We have made this one a few times and it does not disappoint. I am a huge roll/chicken/cheese fan, so what could be better than putting them all together in a casserole?

Bean and Beef Enchilada Casserole
http://www.recipe.com/bean-and-beef-enchilada-casserole/
We made this one a few nights ago and Charlie declared it his favorite. It is super yummy!

Beef Stroganoff (crock pot)
http://crockingirls.com/recipes/beef-stroganoff/
This one of our all.time.favorites.ever! We like it over rice, but I am sure it is great over noodles too!

We are trying out some more new meals this week, I'll post the recipes if they turn out good! Happy cooking!

One year, one week, and five days old

2012-08-01T16:56:00.002-07:00

Grayson is one year, one week, and five days old! I guess this will be my last monthly update on him. Maybe I will sneak another one in on occasion! I can't believe I have written about his growth and milestones twelve times! Where did this past year go?

Doesn't he look so BIG here?

I feel like between eleven and twleve months old, Grayson changed a TON! It all started when I put away the pack n' play and let him play on the floor. At first he wasn't in to much and he didn't go very far, but now he is in to EVERYTHING! I think the sentence I say most frequently is "Grayson, WHAT are you DOING?"

And then he started pulling up on everything. At first he could pull up only to his knees, but now he is full blown standing up! I know it won't be long until he is cruising around the coffee table! :)

One day while I was washing dishes he pushed Claire's chair across the kitchen...

my little baby is not a baby anymore!

Grayson doesn't have his "one year" checkup until next month, but I know he now weighs over 20 pounds. He is eating so much and is in a really good eating stage because he loves everything. He has gotten pretty good at feeding himself and spends most days feeding himself every meal. His favorite food is peaches. He can put away some peaches!

Grayson is still wearing 12-18 months onesies and 6-12 or 12-18 months shorts. I just bought him so new carpenter jeans for the fall and bought size 18 months. Don't get me started on how much I love little boys in their carpenter pants....sooo cute!

We have finally reached the sleeping-through-the-night-every-night phase and it is wonderful. I did take him to the doctor a few weeks ago because he was having screaming fits at night, but they finally stopped and it has been smooth sailing since. We think that the screaming was due to a tooth coming in, but we may never know for sure. It will be so nice when he can tell us what is wrong!

We are still working on the sippy cup, though. Grayson still takes three big bottles and has little interest in drinking out of a sippy cup. I know that this isn't a huge deal, but I am still working with him. No bottles allowed in college, haha!

I know some people would love to turn the clock back and re-live the "baby" days again, but not me. There have been some things this past year with Grayson that were just plain hard. I am happy that he is healthy and happy and am enjoying watching him grow and change everyday. I am so lucky to be a "Mama" to this sweet boy!

Capital Ex

2012-07-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we took off for Capital Ex. It is like a really big fair. The weather started off kind of bad, but we braved it anyway! We did all the indoor stuff first while we waited for it to stop sprinkling.
We found the kids area and tried to convince Claire to try out a bouncy house and a blow-up obstacle course. She refused the bouncy house and after four tries in the obstacle course (we're talking going in and turning around and coming back out) we gave up. That is how Charlie and I ended up on the slide with Claire!

Sometimes being a parent is just too fun! Ha!
We wandered around a little bit. There was a hall filled with every possible item you have seen on an infomercial. It was pretty interesting. Sort of. Charlie keeps talking about how we should have bought these magic ice cubes that turn regular drinks into slushies. I don't think so!

We watched this guy for a few minutes. He was pretty good!
Then, we went outside to check out the rides. We told Claire she could pink one to ride, and it was a tough choice. There was a huge kids area with a bunch of rides! So, while she made up her mind we ate lunch.
After lunch we found a kids music show and when we saw that the crowd was small, we sent Claire up to the front row to watch.

At first she just sat and watched, but when the other kids got up to dance...she got into it! The musicians started singing a cowboy song and they were letting some of the kids sing in the microphone. Of course Claire was waiting in line to sing. She was supposed to be repeating yippee-yippee-ki-yi...but those words are hard to pronounce, haha!

At the very end of the show they let all the kids come up on the stage to dance. Just watch Claire bust a move! That girl loves to dance (and if you don't believe me you should see her trying to do ballet moves on the pew during church. It.is.embarrassing!)

After the show, Claire was ready for her ride. She kept saying she wanted to ride the log flume water ride but she wasn't tall enough. I'm not sure she would have really ridden it anyway. So she settled for the swings. And I think they were perfect for her.

Getting ready to ride...

WWWeeeeee!!!!

We decided it had been a long enough day so we started to leave, but on the way out we saw this water tank and this guy was getting ready to dive!

He is 80 feet in the air. Just 80 feet!!!

Luckily he made it into the tank!

Then, Charlie wanted Claire see the army trucks.

They tried to recruit Charlie, but he said he would have to bring Claire and they weren't interested! Ha!

It was a fun day. I had been wanting to see Capital Ex for the last two summers, so I am glad we got a chance to try it out!

Grayson's First Birthday

2012-07-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

So, I realize I am a week late...but....

Grayson is one year old! It must have been that fastest year ever because I am still in shock that it already came and went!
We had a nice Mickey Mouse party for him with our "family" here in Canada. The "real" family was present on Skype, although my parents were in Bermuda on vacation (poor them!)

I had a fun time making Grayson's birthday banner and tissue puffs!

We had the party at lunchtime and the menu consisted of Hot Diggity Dogs, Chili, Daisy's Garden Vegetables (carrots and dip), Toodles' Noodle Salad (pasta salad), Chips, and Le-Minnie-Ade to drink. There was also Mickey Mouse cake for dessert, of course!

I made little signs to go with the food :)

And of course we had a few goodie bags for the kiddies.
Charlie and I worked together on Grayson's Mickey cake. You can learn a lot about someone by making a cake with them! We had quite a time with this cake, but in the end it turned out great and we were pleased with it. My sister-in-law also was a great distraction because she went to the hospital to have my new niece when we started icing the cake and by the time we were done, Olive Elizabeth was born! I will never forget making this cake and checking on her progress the whole time. And of course Grayson will always have a birthday buddy! (We were so hopeful that Olive would come on his actual birthday, but she waited until the next day...but they can still celebrate together!)

Getting excited about guests coming!

Eating lunch...Grayson ate two hotdogs. He has turned into a little pig lately and eats a ton!

We Skyped with my sister and brother-in-law, my mother and father-in-law, and my niece and nephew...and of course my newest niece was there too! They were all at the hospital visiting the baby. And we all sang "happy birthday" to Grayson.

Then came time for the cake!!! I was so excited to see him dig in....and that is what he did!!

That boy loved his cake!

After playing for a while, it was time for presents.

I think Grayson was a little overwhelmed!

He got some help from Daddy...

And Claire presented her cards she was worked hard on.

Grayson liked all of his new toys. He even got Batman Little People! Yay, for some new "boy" toys!

Charlie and I got him a zebra riding toy and he really does like sitting on it!

It was a really fun day for all of us. We just love this boy so much and are so happy to watch him learn and grow! Happy Birthday Grayson!

Capital Ex Parade

2012-07-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was the start of Capital Ex here in Edmonton. It is a huge "fair" like event with lots of concerts, rides, and livestock. Captial Ex always starts with a huge parade and this year my friend asked if I wanted to go. Of course I said yes! I love a good parade!

We rode the train to the parade downtown, and boy was it crowded! We finally found a place where the kids could sit and watch.

Air Canada float.

There were over 100 floats and lots of country music...I know! Country music in Canada!

RCMP (royal canadian mounted police)

This float was the "big deal" of the parade. It was Edmonton's float and cost 80,000. I am still not sure WHAT it is!

Capital Ex float.

I think this one was my favorite. Gotta love a beaver float!

Ooooh and the dragons were neat!

Kermit?

The scarecrow festival's float.....scary!

BIG John Deere!

Yes, this is a bicycle! I couldn't even fit all the people in my camera lens!

The parade ended up being an hour and forty-five minutes long...that's a long time! When it was over it was past lunch time so we hurried to find somewhere to eat. The plan was to go into the mall across the street and eat at McDonald's, but after finding two different loooong lines for the elevator, we ended up at a hot dog vendor on the street. I had never eaten at a hot dog vendor before...and it was....okay!
We found some tables around the corner that just happened to be right next to a kids play area that was set up for Capital Ex. Claire was so excited to try it out!
So, after we ate we wandered over to the big blow up slide. Now, Claire is going through this "fear" stage. She has been afraid of lots of things lately, but mostly anything involving heights. And she definitely has never gone into a bouncy house to jump. But today was a different day.

She agreed to slide down the slide if I went with her...so up we both went!

And then she WENT IN and JUMPED in the bouncy house! But, the best part was when she insisted on going down the slide by herself and she really did do it!!

Cimbing up....(I am thinking she will turn around any second!)

And sliding down!

Look how proud she is of herself! Ha! I was really proud too! She was so excited that she went down the slide about 5 more times before we left.
After that excitement we took the train home. By the time we got there, we all needed a nap! Fun days are sure tiring, even to Mommas!

Claire's first VBS

2012-07-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

Last week was Claire's first time being old enough to attend VBS. I was so excited for her, as I have such great memories of VBS as a kid.
While we were grocery shopping the night before, I mentione to Claire that her camp starts "Tomorrow! YAY!" And what kind of response did I get? A flood of tears! I was shocked! I looked at Charlie for help and he was just as surprised as I was. Claire apparently decided that she was going to have some separation anxiety because she wailed all through Wal-Mart about me leaving her while I reassured her that I wouldn't leave unless she was happy there.
Needless to say, when we got up on Monday and got ready, I was nervous for Claire.

I got her into the church a little early and we waited for her teacher to come. Claire was a part of the "preschool crew" which meant that she didn't attend the full week and there were special activities for them. Anyway, her teacher finally came and I knew immediately that Claire would be fine. She was super nice and Claire took right up with her. She did ask if I was leaving, but when I said "yes" she agreed to let me go. Woohoo!
As I walked away, I turned back to watch Claire for a minute. She just seemed so little to me with all of those kids!
And then I drove home and had time to myself while Grayson took a nap. Yes! Time to MYSELF! It was heavenly!
When I picked Claire up she was so excited to show me her stuff that she got and tell me all about her snack. Food is important to my girl.

She had to show me a dance with her box. I also asked her what she learned about Jesus and she said "Jesus was not afraid, Mommy. Other people afraid, but Jesus not afraid." I love hearing her talk about God! Nothing like the faith of a child!
So, the week went on and when Claire went back on Wednesday the children's director was asking for volunteers to go up on the stage to sing. Well, the stage was flooded with kids and after a song or two, Claire went up on the stage too! I was so upset because I didn't have my camera!
On Friday, sure enough Claire went back up on stage. She was loving dancing up there. She was supposed to be following the dancers on the screen, but she liked making up her own moves!

This is her typical "see my pretty dress" move!
So, camp was a success! She had a great week and I am looking forward to when she can attend the whole week because she missed learning about several of the "characters" that taught them lessons each day. Also, she didn't get her VBS t-shirt and that is a key part to attending VBS! You have to have a t-shirt!
On Sunday her leader called all the kids up to the stage to sing a couple of their songs from the week. Claire happily went up on stage, but she didn't stand with the other kids. She was off to the side and she did her OWN moves the entire time. I was mortified. I kept getting her attention and pointing to her leader who was doing to motions to the songs. She would follow him for a few seconds and go back to twirling on her own. There were a few snickers around me about Claire...
Sometimes it is embarrassing to be a parent, haha!

Party Hats

2012-07-17T15:50:00.002-07:00

We have been in full-swing "party mode" the past week. We spent the weekend shopping for goody bag stuff, food, a cake pan, and party hats to go with the stuff I already bought! I went ahead and made Grayson's birthday banner and hung it up because I was worried it would get torn...there are a couple of little people around here who like to get into stuff! Ha!
With all of the decorating and talk about Grayson's party, Claire decided she needed to make party hats. She spent two days working on a hat for everyone in the family. It was really funny because she came up with the concept all by herself. She only asked for paper and one piece of tape for each hat. Then she decorated each hat with her princess foam stickers and some coloring.
The best part was when she made us all try them on!

Grayson wasn't sure what to think about his party hat!

"Just let me crawl!"

Daddy was a much better sport!

Here are the hats she made. She forgot me so she made me one later!

So proud of her hard work!

We are super excited about Grayson's party on Saturday! I can't believe he is almost one!

Street Performers Festival

2012-07-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took off to the street performers festival. This is Charlie's favorite festival we have and it is lots of fun. We rode the train to Churchill Square and when we got off we saw the fountains were on at the wading pool. Claire was super excited! We didn't have her swim suit but it was nice and hot and she wanted to try it out anyway!

Then, we walked over to the square to see the performances. There are letters painted in various places on the square and you can check a dry erase board to see who is performing now and who is up next. We picked a random act and it was pretty good. After it was over we went into the mall to eat lunch. On the way I saw a sign on the ground that said "Dance Party! Insert coin to activate." It had a cup beside it. So, when we finished eating and came back out to the square Charlie sent Claire to put a loonie in the cup. Charlie had seen this performer on the news and thought he was funny. Claire had to tell him that she put money in his cup because he was talking to some fans. He said, "oh you want to hear some music and dance with me?!"

Claire danced it up!

We went to see who was performing next and sat down to wait for a show to start. We watched a guy escape from a straight jacket and then picked one last show before going home.
This guy was amazing! He got inside a gigantic hula hoop and twirled all around in it.

He even picked a little boy out of the audience and at the end of his show he had the boy hold onto him while he twirled him in the hula hoop too. I'm not sure I would've let Claire do that!!
By the time his show was over the kids were HOT and tired. So we headed back to the train to go home.

Grayson was out in minutes..

This girl was sleepy too, but she hung on until the train ride was over...she just loves the train!

It's hard to get pictures of me when I am always holding the camera! :)

Happy Father's Day!

2012-07-13T07:55:00.002-07:00

**Found this post that I never finished from Father's Day**

Yesterday, we took Charlie to the new splash park I found. This one is much closer to home and is so super nice. If the weather would cooperate I think I might live there part time! I sure do miss hot, sunny weather and lounging by the pool this time of year, but I guess this is the closest thing!

Claire didn't know what to think with Charlie there too. She spent the whole time right by his side. Poor Charlie, the water was freeeezing!

She had to show Daddy her dancing!

Grayson lounged in his stroller. I love how he put his foot up!

Charlie took Grayson through and he was less than thrilled. I guess his little toes weren't expecting to touch that cold water!

"Get me out of here!"
It didn't take too long for Claire to get cold too. So, she found some birds that were fun to chase...

It was a nice "family day" together. Thanks for being such a great Daddy, Charlie! We love you!

It's getting hot in here...really!

2012-07-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

I just want to start by saying it has been HOT here. Yes, I just typed those words correctly. We have had temps in the 90s the past several days, which it has been nice to see the 90s again...but on the other hand...we have no air conditioning. NO AIR CONDITIONING! Which has been miserable. You don't miss the good ole A/C until the temps are in the 90s and you have no relief!
The kids have had some interesting pajamas lately. I bought them nice pajamas back in the spring, but it has been so hot at night that they are too warm! Grayson especially. He has been sleeping in a undershirt and diaper lately.
Anyway, in an attempt to catch-up on my lack of blogging lately here are some pictures I have taken recently...

Perfect example of taking pictures with kids. Charlie's smile never falters and the kids never look! Arg!

On Canada Day we have some friends over to celebrate my birthday...and I decided I needed a birthday cake at the last minute. Check out my pink cake! :)

Grayson's first time in a pool. The water was the perfect temperature and he played for a long time in the pool. Yay!

I had just finished washing dishes when I looked over and saw this. I asked Claire how Grayson got a stuffed animal in his jammies and she just giggled. Nothing like 3 year old humor (though it was pretty funny!)

He had no idea there was anything back there! Charlie says that Claire is enjoying entertaining herself at her brother's expense. Which might explain the little people prince I found in his onesie yesterday...

Aren't they sweet?

Grayson's New 'Do

2012-07-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I took the kids to get their haircut. This was a big moment for Grayson...his first big boy haircut! It was a little sad to be cutting his "baby hair" but I was ready to even things up! Charlie insisted he was growing a mullet, haha!
We went to Beaners, which is Canadian-based. They have several different cars to sit in while you get your hair cut. They put Grayson in the yellow Mini Coupe because it was the most contained. It didn't matter, though because Grayson sat so still throughout the whole cut. I was one proud Mama!

Claire chose the Barbie jeep to sit in and happily got her hair trimmed. She was especially thrilled when she got glitter gel put in at the end.

I wanted to document the kids "new looks" so I took my camera along while we went for an after-dinner walk. Man, taking pictures of two kids requires super-human patience.

Typical Grayson expression!

Finally, two smiles!

My little kids are growing up so fast!

Out & About

2012-06-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a brand new toy and I am soooo excited! I have been wanting a new camera for the last six years and we finally took the plunge and joined the DSLR world! Yippee! So, today I had to take it out for a spin.
First of all, I got the kids up early so I could take Grayson to see his plastic surgeon. He just wanted to see how his scar was healing and he was very pleased with how it looks. He told us to keep massaging his lip, but other than that the red line will continue to fade. We have to go back in November or early December....but we are very pleased with everything...the doctor...the outcome...the healing!!!
Then, I headed out to meet a friend at an indoor playground. It was windy and chilly today and this was the perfect place to be! Claire had a super time running around and driving the cars along the track.

We ordered lunch and just sat back while the kids played. Ahh...so nice!

Grayson just loved exploring a new exersaucer! He was full of smiles for the unfamiliar toys on the tray!

And then Grayson figured out that his exersaucer bounced. It made a nice squeaky sound when he bounced and he loved it. He bounced and bounced and bounced!

Of course when we left...the sun was out and it felt so much warmer! Hopefully tomorrow will allow us to be back outside!

11 months...the countdown has begun!

2012-06-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Grayson is 11 months old! Can that be true? Where did my baby go??

We have now started the weaning process and I am a nice mixture of sad and happy. Sad to be done with the bonding of feeding my baby boy, but happy to have my body back, ha! Last week I dropped the 4 o'clock feeding and it has been going okay. I am planning on dropping one feeding a week until his birthday. Grayson is (kind of) learning to use a sippy cup. He has been given the sippy cup many times but has yet to get anything out of it by himself. He does seem to like the Avent cup better than the hard plastic Playtex cup, though. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he gets the hang of it soon!

We have been leaving home to enjoy the nice weather a lot lately and this boy is just so laid back. He loves to sit in his stroller and is even content to just crawl around and watch his big sissy play. He now can crawl pretty well on his knees. His newest accomplishment is going from crawling to sitting. I have gone to get him from his naps a few times and found him sitting up in his bed.

AND...he is FINALLY sleeping through the night! I read an article on the internet about how to sleep train your baby and it worked! I do think that he was also just ready, but still...it worked!!! The article said to go in when your baby wakes up and cover them back up, pat their back, etc. but not to pick them up or talk to them and quickly leave. Of course they will scream (and boy did Grayson!) so go back at 2 mins, 5 mins, 10, 15, 20, etc. until they stop crying. The first night I went back in at 2, 5 and before I got to 10 he fell asleep. Then he woke up an hour later and I went back at 10,15,and 20 and he fell asleep and slept through the night. He has only woken up twice in the last week and I have just ran in and patted his back for a few seconds and he has gone right back to sleep until morning. YES!!!!!! I think part of the reason he has been waking up is because he is working on some new teeth. It looks like four are coming quickly. Yay for new teeth!

Some other new things this month are: he is babbling more and he can now push buttons on his toys to make them light up or make music. He is also eating more and picking up and feeding himself some foods. His favorites right now are avacado and peaches. I have been giving him mixed vegetables and peas to feed himself and that works pretty well.

Grayson is still wearing 12-18 months onesies and 6-12 or 12-18 months pants. He is in a size 4 diaper and I think he will be in that size a long time. I did notice that his 18 months sleepers aren't so big anymore. He will be in a 2T before I know it! Yikes!
It is true that the older they get the easier things are. Grayson has gotten pretty easy to take care of. He keeps to his schedule pretty well and still likes to take two naps a day. The only problem we have been having lately is getting his diaper changed...that boy can flip over the fastest I have ever seen! Even with a toy in each hand, he still flips! It is almost impossible to change his diaper and put his clothes on at the same time. I find that when I get to the clothes part I have to move him to the floor because I need to sit down, ha!

So, now I am only a few weeks away from Grayson's first birthday party. I need to get busy! We are pretty much settled on having a Mickey party. This boy just loves his Mickey! We are going to invite some friends over. I do hate that family won't be attending, but we are thankful to have some friends that can celebrate with us!

Summer loving

2012-06-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

I should be spending this time typing Grayson's 11 month post. But I'm not. Instead I thought I would list some things that I am loving right now. Enjoy!
1. The way Claire says "yep I do!" in response to 99.9% of all questions that cause her to respond positively. (some variations are "yep I would" and "yep I will" and "yep it does")
2. The fact that Grayson has slept through the night 2 out of the last 3 nights. And last night he woke up long enough for me to pat his back for 10 seconds and leave his room. Hurray!!
3. The splash park. It is my new love. I have been there the last two days. Heaven! Which leads me to...
4. The slight tan I am developing! It is HARD to tan in Canada!
5. These new piggie tail sets I have been working on...

So fun to pick out colors for them!
6. Cosco....we just became members. (Man that place can suck the time out of the day...and I thought IKEA was bad!)
7. I love love love that Claire is into dressing up all. the. time. Yesterday she was in a sleeping beauty dress and insisted her name was "Princess Zalla" and she was going to marry her prince.
8. These bible song CD's my Mom got Claire. They have been great! And I just love to hear her little voice singing from the back seat. Soooo cute!

9. And speaking of the Bible, Claire has been wanting to say prayers by herself at night. She has been thinking of one person and then asking God to keep them safe. Makes me a proud Mama to hear her talking to God like that!
10. Hearing Grayson's little voice say "Mama." Some things just need to be bottled up...like his little baby voice and maybe a couple of his fat baby toes! :)

Jurassic Forest 2012

2012-06-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to go back to the Jurassic Forest this weekend. We went last spring and Claire enjoyed it even more this time. We invited our good friends along and had a really fun day!

Claire was a little bit unsure at first. The dinosaurs are really big and do make a lot of noise! But, after being reassured that they are pretend she loved it!

The forest is pretty marshy and we saw lots of mosquitoes (one of my least favorite things about Canada), but luckily we didn't get bitten. We had thought it was going to be chilly too, but all of the sudden the sun came out and it was really humid! Weird Alberta weather!

I had to get a picture of the Albertosaurus!

The park is really well done. It really could've been cheesy with all the robot dinosaurs, but everything is really nice.

"Look at those dinosaurs!"

Claire and I had to pose in front of Mr. T-Rex. I think she was more excited about her sucker, though!

Brushing the dino bones.

And this is when I realized that Claire is the complete opposite from me when it comes to dirt. I never would've played in the dirt like this when I was little. When Claire was done playing she was filthy! She even had dirt all around her mouth!

Grayson did so well. He hardly made a peep, just hung out in his stroller and looked around and then when he could not stay awake a minute longer, he dozed off. Poor, sleepy boy!
We all were worn out when we left! But, we would go back again for a third time!

Soccer in the park

2012-06-14T08:02:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the kids at the local playground and the Green Shack Program was going. The Green Shack is literally a green shack that is put at most of the playgrounds in the city in the spring and summer. It is run by volunteers who play games and do crafts with the kids. I had thought that Claire wasn't old enough to participate, but while we were in the sandbox I saw a sign on the shack that said "under 6 must have a guardian." So, when the volunteers (I like calling them the "green shack people") got out the miniature golf set and set it up, I sent Claire over to play. She LOVED it! She attached herself right to one of the volunteers and held her hand. After mini golf was over Claire told her she wanted to play something else and when the girl asked her what she wanted to play she said, "SOCCER!" Soccer? She has never played soccer! But the girl didn't know this and ran in to the shack and got a soccer ball. She and Claire kicked the ball around for a long time and Claire was so into it that I started thinking about putting her in soccer next spring. Charlie was happy to hear of her interest too and bought her a ball at Wal-Mart over the weekend.
So the other night it was so pretty out that we decided to take out her ball and kick it around some.

Don't you just love the fact that Claire is playing soccer in a pink dress with a pink ball? She is my little girlie girl!

It was a perfect night...so warm (well in the low 70's...but hey, that's warm here!) and Grayson and I sat on a bench and watched.

Then, I decided to play. I had on flip flops, but that didn't stop me! And my bloody toes were proof that flip flops were a bad idea!

Do you think we have a future soccer star on our hands? She still is awful excited about ballet which starts in September. I guess we'll see!!

More family fun!

2012-05-27T10:51:00.001-07:00

The weather this weekend has been nice and sunny...if a bit cool for my taste! It almost hit 70 yesterday...wish the 70's would come and stay for a while! Anyway, we had a nice day together as a family. Those days are always the best!

Any guess as to where we went? Of course it was Fort Edmonton. My in-laws are the only family that hadn't been yet, so they needed to go!
At the fort they were demonstrating some dances they used to do, so Charlie, Claire, and I joined in. Grayson was along for the ride, haha!

We walked around and then had a picnic lunch. Claire found the pony rides and just had to ride!

After several hours of walking, Charlie asked Claire if she wanted to ride on his shoulders. She said, "no! i want to sleep!" She wanted him to hold her on his hip so she could lay on his shoulder and rest. Ha! That girl doesn't fight sleep when she is tired!

She was out in a matter of minutes!

My two favorite boys!

We left soon after that and went downtown for some great Italian food. Mmmmmm....good! By the time we got home we all were exhausted! I gave Grayson a bath and fed him. Then, I gave him his pumped bottle. He sure is loving his pumped bottle. It has been helping him sleep really well at night too. We all thought it was funny he wanted to hold it all by himself.

Happy Memorial Day to all of my US friends and family!

Recent pics...

2012-05-24T18:58:00.001-07:00

While we were in Jasper and over the last few days I have been horrible about taking pictures. But, thanks to my Father-in-law I now have some! So, here are some views of the beautiful mountains as well as a couple of my birthday celebration (yep, I know my birthday is in July but when family comes to visit and want to celebrate it would be crazy to turn that down!!) Enjoy!

10 months!

2012-05-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Grayson is ten months old! I am late posting this because the time just slipped right by! I can't believe that in two months he will be one! Wow!

This has been a big month for Grayson. He bounced back from his ear infection and started eating again (big sigh of relief). He still has days where he doesn't eat very much, but he is more interested in his food...especially if you bring out the Puffs can!
I am also happy to announce that Grayson has finally surpassed his 17 pounds 11 ounces! WOOHOO! I haven't had him weighed in a few weeks, but he was over 18 pounds the last time I had him checked. I hadn't even noticed until I went back over my old posts, but had been stuck at 17 pounds 11 ounces since January. The doctors we saw weren't concerned since he was getting longer and his head was getting bigger. I guess this guy is going to be long and skinny!

Grayson is now wearing 12 months and some 18 months sleepers. His summer onesies are 12-18 months and his pants are 6-12 months or 12-18 months. He needs the 12-18 months pants for length! No high-water pants for this guy! :)

He is wearing a size 4 diaper...not because of his weight but because I got tired of cleaning his blow-outs! He also had his two front teeth come in this month. They make him look so big!

Check out my teeth!

The three biggest (and most fun) accomplishments for Grayson this month is his clapping, waving, and crawling! He first clapped over Skype to Mimi and not long after that he waved bye-bye to her too. Then, I had him on the floor and he pushed himself to a book. Both Claire and Grayson first crawled to a book. He uses a sort of army method, but it gets the job done...even if it is very slow (and easily distracted!) I captured him on video this morning...my first YouTube upload...haha!

I feel like Grayson has been going through a growth spurt lately. Last night I fed him at his normal time before bed and he threw a fit and acted like he wanted more. I thought maybe I should thaw some frozen milk for him and he sucked it down which is remarkable because he rarely ever takes a bottle and usually hates it. Lo and behold, it made him so happy to have that extra milk. He went right to sleep without any fussing. Now I am thinking I might need to start pumping every night to save up a supply. After pumping with Claire so much I have not pumped hardly at all. But I am willing to do anything to make that little guy happy!
On a funny note, we realized that Grayson loves Mickey Mouse. He started reacting to a Mickey Mouse coloring book that Mimi and Dat brought for Claire. He will bounce up and down and try as hard as he can to reach it. If the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse comes on tv he goes crazy...bouncing...babbling at it...smiling! We had been planning a monkey theme for his first birthday, but I might have to rethink that!

I just am loving this boy so much. He has changed a ton in the last ten months. He is a bit of a Momma's boy...but I admit I do love that!

To Jasper and back...

2012-05-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, my Mother and Father-in-law are in town and we are rapidly becoming spoiled. By that I mean, I cleaned up the kitchen and prepared dinner all while someone else was playing with the kiddies! Yes! Claire is beside herself with joy! Grayson is a little more wary but he is becoming more excited to see them when he wakes up.
We decided to take a one night trip to Jasper, Alberta over the weekend. As we were driving we saw lots of wildlife.

We would be driving along and then all of a sudden everyone would pull over and jump out of their cars to take pictures...us included! The big horn sheep were the first animals we saw and a couple of them walked right by our car before nonchalantly waltzing across the road.

Then we looked across the street and there were two mountain goats! They aren't seen very often because they spend most of their time up in the mountains!

A little ways down the road and we saw some elk!

We had a great time eating out and walking around the little town and going in to the souvenir shops. I just love those places! Claire thought when we got back to our room that we should "eat popcorn and have a jammie party!" So we did! She went right to sleep on her pull-out couch bed while Charlie and I dealt with our other child who decided he did not like the strange place he was in!

The next morning we were up and ready to see the Columbia Ice Field. On the way we saw this guy (A Grizzly!!) snacking by the side of the road.

We left Grayson in the car with Mimi while we hiked up to the glacier. It was so fun! We went right up through the snow to get a good look at it.

The white part is the glacier now. It has melted very slowly away over the years, but isn't that neat?!!

I turned around to find the car...it was way way down!

The snow part is what we climbed through. I was so happy on the way up, but I was scared to death on the way down! My sweet Father-in-law held my hand so I wouldn't slide. I just knew I would land on my hind end, but I didn't.

We spent a lot of hours in the car yesterday traveling back. It is always nice to be home (I think Grayson was so relieved) but it was great to take a little trip. Thanks for the fun, Mimi and Dat!

Surviving Alone

2012-05-17T08:26:00.001-07:00

So last week Charlie had to go to a conference. In Amsterdam. Yep, the Netherlands. The kids and I took him to the airport on Monday morning and he came back on Sunday at midnight. That is a long time to be alone with these kids! It is funny because now that he has been back a few days there has been a few times that he has mentioned something about the kids being hard to deal with or gosh, the kids are so fussy at night. Ahem...yes, try a week ALONE with them!
But, it really wasn't too bad. I tried to get out every day with them and do something to keep us busy. We went to the library, zoo, Galaxyland, and the playground. I also got really adventurous one day and ran with them to Wal-Mart to get stuff to make homemade biscuits. That turned into a disaster. It seems that cream of tartar is necessary to the success of biscuits because our Wal-Mart didn't have any and the biscuits were kind of rock-ish. I should do a post one day on our Wal-Mart because it is NOT the same as the US Wal-Mart. It is kind of sad.
Anyway, Charlie had a great time. He got to see Ann Frank's house, tour the canals, and see the Van Gough museum. It was really hard to talk to him because he was eight hours ahead, but we did get to talk to him a few times.
Before I put Claire to bed on Sunday night I told her that I would be waking her up to take her to the airport to get Daddy. She was really excited to see what surprise Daddy got for her! When it was time to leave I opened the van doors and turned on the garage light and ran up the stairs to get the kids. I got Claire first and she did NOT want to wake up. I kept telling her we were going to get Daddy. I finally got her to stand in the hallway and I went into Grayson's room to get him up. He was even more unhappy. I turned around to see where Claire was and she was on her way back into her room to get back in her bed! I stopped her and finally got her awake enough to get in the van. Whew!
Both kids stayed awake the entire ride and Claire waited excitedly until we were home for Charlie to dig in his suitcase and pull out her present. She got a little Dutch doll complete with blond braids and wooden shoes. Claire has named her "Sparkle" and don't ask me why or how she got that name! I got a Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam shirt. I always love a new t-shirt.
So, I can say I am proud of myself. I had been dreading him leaving for months, but he did it and I survived! I really don't know how single parents do it. Those extra set of hands are really helpful! I have felt a little bit bad for Claire because everyday she thinks Charlie is gone again and I have been explaining to her that no, it is just regular work and he will be home for dinner!! Thank goodness!!

A Bunch of Randomness

2012-05-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is what has been going on (so far) this week in our lives...

1. Last night I went to check on the kids before going to bed and when I went into Claire's room her night light was burned out. I immediately thought about her waking up in the middle of the night screaming because of the DARK so I ran downstairs to find a new light bulb. I changed the bulb out in her room and plugged the light back in and Claire never moved. Then, I went to check on Grayson. He has been screaming as soon as I put him in his bed the last two nights, so I wanted to make sure he was breathing, and as soon as I looked at him, he woke up. Now why can't I have two sound sleepers? Sheesh!

2. We have gone to the playground so far everyday this week. Claire will not slide down the slides that she loved last year. She has regressed to the baby slide. I finally convinced her to try out the twisty slide again with the promise that is goes really slow. She finally went and she loved it. But she still won't go down the tunnel slide. I think she gets her bravery from me, ha!

3. I took the kids to the Library on Tuesday. Charlie is the only one with a card and I didn't have his so I asked the lady if she could look up his card number so I could check out some books. She said no, that every adult has a private account and I couldn't use his. Well I think that is the first time I haven't been able to share something with my spouse! Luckily she gave me my own card and a spiffy pink bag to carry my books in. The bag says "we carry everything you care about." I do love books, but I don't know if I love them that much!

4. I have been working with Grayson on signing "more." I have also been working with him on saying "Mama." Wouldn't you know that the other day after he ate all of the puffs on his tray, he said "mamamama!" I then realized that he is saying "Mama" and meaning "more." I tested him a few more times and sure enough, every time he runs out of food and wants more he says "Mama!" Haha, I guess he is just extra smart to be saying my name and asking for more, right?

5. I do have to add that a few days ago I was talking and someone asked me if I was from Australia!!! Now, why would anyone think that? I just had to laugh!

I hope you are enjoying your week!

Under the Weather :(

2012-04-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

So last Sunday Grayson woke up in the early morning with a fever. He was miserable! I took him in to the pediatrician on Monday and she thought he had a stomach virus. I should have known better because after coming back home, his nose started running and he started coughing. I went back again on Wednesday and it was confirmed he had his first ear infection. Yikes! I got him an antibiotic that just happens to be highlighter-yellow and he spits it out of his mouth three times a day...and I get to have this fun for 10 days!

Passed out on Daddy's shoulder! :(

And I think the worst thing is that he now has no appetite. I was so proud of his eating and then wham! he gets sick and is now back to only breastfeeding again.
The ear infection seemed to start with a horrible cold/sinus infection that Claire got after Grayson and then I got it on Friday. I am now just as miserable as they were! I guess now I know how they felt...but I think I could've gone on not knowing and it would've been fine!!
This was the first time that one of the kids was sick for a whole week. I think I would like a do-over on last week! I seemed to spend most of my time holding Grayson while in my pajamas!
So, here's to hoping that this week brings healthy, happy (and hopefully hungry!) kids!

Put the pedal to the metal!

2012-04-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend it was finally warm enough to venture outside and walk to the playground. Grayson had been sick all day and I think that Charlie was at his wit's end with all of the screaming he was making. We thought putting him in the stroller for a ride would be a good idea for all of us! We told Claire she could ride her tricycle to the playground and you would've thought she had won the lottery she was so excited!

I think she realized soon after she started pedaling that this was going to be a lot of work! But she did really well and was way better than she was last summer. Having longer legs does help! We are still working on steering, though. Charlie had to pull her out of the grass many times!

It was so nice to be out walking around. We have had a really weird April. It has pretty much been: snow, melting, more snow, more melting. This is a rough time of year because all you hear about from friends and family at home is how nice the weather is and I am still wearing sweaters! How I long to break out my flip flops too!

We got to a big hill and that was where Claire decided she was tired. Charlie carried her the rest of the way. Too bad the stroller didn't have a big enough basket for the tricycle!

When we got to the playground Claire took off for the swings. She wanted to sit in the "baby" swings, but Charlie told her that she was too big this year. I can't believe she wanted to try and squeeze in those!

See the guy next to Charlie? This is a typical example of how we dress compared to Canadians in the spring. They pull out shorts as soon as the snow is gone. But really it was barely 60 degrees.

I sat down to watch Claire play and to keep an eye on Grayson. He managed to take a five minute nap, but the walk did help distract him some. Poor guy!

I am looking forward to many many more warm days with lots of walks to the playground!